WANA (May 22) – Despite former U.S. President Donald Trump’s claims of completely neutralizing Iran’s military capabilities, Western media reports reveal that Iranian forces have inflicted at least $1 billion in damages on the U.S. military by destroying a significant portion of its MQ-9 Reaper drone fleet.

 

According to a report by Bloomberg, Iran has downed more than 24 MQ-9 Reaper drones during recent conflicts with the U.S., effectively wiping out approximately 20% of America’s total stockpile of the aircraft.

 

Sources familiar with the matter noted that the actual number of downed drones could be as high as 30. Replacing these specialized military assets is expected to be a difficult and lengthy process for Washington.

 

Each MQ-9 Reaper drone costs the United States roughly $30 million to manufacture. These advanced unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are equipped with high-powered sensors and sophisticated camera systems, and are capable of carrying heavy payloads, including Hellfire missiles and Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) guided bombs.

 

The reports highlight that during the Ramadan War, Iran inflicted severe blows on U.S. forces, bringing numerous American military bases in the region to the brink of total destruction and heavily damaging key U.S. radar systems.

 

Western media outlets acknowledge that Washington has already spent over $85 billion in its conflict with Iran, and will need to invest tens of billions more to rebuild its degraded regional military infrastructure.

Destruction of Two MQ-9 Drones Over Shiraz by Iran’s Army Air Defense